Name: Flash Flood in Illinois, May 10, 2003
Start: 2003-05-10T05:15
End: 2003-05-10T09:15
Location: Illinois

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 10, 2:00 AM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 2:00 AM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
300 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

ONE MORE.  ETA FORECASTS LAST IN A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES TO ROLL OUT
OF THE SWRN U.S. TODAY AND TONIGHT.  MODEL CLOSES OFF THE H5 LOW
NEAR MSN BY SUN MORNING WITH 180 M 12 HR HFC.  LOOKS MORE LIKE MAR
THAN MAY. RIDGE CONTINUES TO BUILD ACROSS THE ROCKIES EARLY IN THE
WEEK WITH A QUIET WEATHER PATTERN FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE LATEST MSAS INDICATED WEAK BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM NE MO INTO E
CENTRAL KS WITH BEST SURFACE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE OVER W CENTRAL MO.
FAIRLY STRONG CONVECTION WAS MOVING INTO CENTRAL MO ATTM.  WILL KEEP
FLOOD WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON IN PLACE AS A RESULT.

.STL...FLOOD WATCH THIS MORNING ENTIRE CWA EXCEPT THE ERN OZARKS

Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 4:30 AM CST, 45 minutes before

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-111200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
530 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

...THE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES
THROUGH THIS EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI
AND WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THE AREA OF HIGH RISK IS GENERALLY NORTH OF A
LINE FROM COLUMBIA IN BOONE COUNTY TO TROY IN LINCOLN COUNTY TO
HILLSBORO IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.  SOME CITIES IN THE HIGH RISK AREA
INCLUDE COLUMBIA...HANNIBAL...QUINCY...BOWLING GREEN...AND PARIS.

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND THIS
EVENING ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA.  THE STORMS ARE LIKELY TO
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS AND DAMAGING WINDS
ALONG WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN.

AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER
SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING TORNADOES OVER THE
REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT
WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL MISSOURI LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND PASS
THROUGH EASTERN MISSOURI AND ADJACENT PARTS OF ILLINOIS THIS
EVENING.  SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE GIVEN THE STRONG
FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM...AS WELL AS THE HIGH
AMOUNTS OF ATMOSPHERIC SHEAR AND INSTABILITY.

STAY TUNED FOR CONTINUED UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
SITUATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

AFTER A REST SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THERE IS A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM
MOVES INTO THE MIDWEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

REPORTS FROM SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN GREATLY APPRECIATED DURING THE PAST
WEEK.  SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TODAY AND THIS
EVENING.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT...
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LSX (ALL LOWER CASE)

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 10, 2:43 AM CST, 2 hours 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
343 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0335 AM    5N COLUMBIA               MO   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/10/03   BOONE                          REPORTED BY BOONE COUNTY
                                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          AGENCY.

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:16 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Pike

When: May 10, 5:15 AM CST to 9:15 AM CST
Where: Pike County, South Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.623, -90.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rain caused flash flooding across the south portion of Pike County. Highway 100 was closed in several locations due to high water. The town of Pearl, in extreme southeast Pike County, suffered flood damage as Hill Creek rose out of its banks. At least 9 homes were flooded by 2 to 3 feet of water. Buck Branch Creek south of Nebo washed out 3 bridges serving private residences.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, May 2003

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5358066.